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Trailer park joys: The Shady dell trailer park

BISBEE, AZ.–I never thought I could fall in love with a trailer park. My attitude toward them was nothing short of disdainful. And given that their current ambassador is a four-eyed doofus named Bubbles, can you really blame me?

Then, one dark Arizona night, I saw the light. It was neon light, and it illuminated the words, "The Shady Dell."

Owners Jen Wilhelm and Justin Luria have created a retro-cool ambience at the Shady Dell trailer park, with vintage items such as a Halson record player, a 1947 Airporter bus, and Dot’s Diner, an erstwhile California greasy spoon where guests can order fare such as `two chicks on a raft.’ (REB STEVENSON PHOTO)

A collection of 10 vintage trailers dating from 1949 to 1959, the place is a glorious celebration of mid-century modernism and a throwback to golden age of the tow-your-own hotel-room movement.

My lodging for the evening was a 1959 Boles Aero, the park's newest addition. Upon entering, I discovered that its shiny metallic exterior was really just a big old time capsule.

From the blonde wood cupboards to the retro Arizona Highways and Life magazines carefully arranged by the bedside, all the décor was in keeping with the `50s illusion. There was an old candy box, a coffee percolator and a Bisbee High School Yearbook from 1959 that had belonged to one Donald White (a "real swell guy" according to classmates who scrawled on the autograph pages).

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About half the trailers have toilets, and the others have access to public facilities. Mine even had a teensy shower.

Since opening my laptop would have been nothing short of a crime given the artfully engineered pre-Facebook environment, I examined the in-house entertainment.

First, there was a Philco Courier TV which – steel yourselves for a shock, kids – necessitated getting up off one's rump to change channels.

Hidden below it was a DVD player and a copy of a nostalgic horror film called The Woman Eater, a flick about a mysterious foreign babe-munching plant. I watched it for as long as possible, which amounted to approximately 12 minutes. Not because it wasn't scary – believe me, the acting was terrifying.

Trumping the TV set was a stack of 45s and a Halson record player in working order. And so I whiled away the evening DJ'ing my way into the past, utterly enchanted by the crackle of the needle and the fuzzy vocals of long lost crooners.

Owners Jen Wilhelm and her fiancée, Justin Luria, clearly understand the magic that music can bring to a place like The Shady Dell. So in addition to the record players, they broadcast their own AM oldies station. It is picked up on vintage radios within the trailers and pumped through speakers outside.

With her hair twisted into victory rolls and lips painted scarlet, Wilhelm herself is a lovely part of the ambiance.

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"It's glamorous," she says. "It was a time when people took the time to dress up and have pride in what they looked like."

Luria and Wilhelm both sport tattoos of pinup girls: his is Betty Grable and hers is a bowler.

"I'm into bowling," she laughs. (Her average? 175).

Each trailer has a distinct personality. Take, for instance, the shiny Airstream that made its way into a 1949 issue of Bride's Magazine. The ceilings are polished aluminum and Wilhelm has thrown in a photo album filled with vintage wedding pictures. Then there's the itsy bitsy 1952 Homemade, which folks ordered from Popular Mechanics magazine.

"The kit would be delivered to your house and you could assemble it in your backyard," says Wilhelm.

There are also two non-trailers lurking in the crowd: a 1947 Chris Craft Yacht ("the VIP suite of the park") and a robin's egg blue 1947 Airporter bus that has been transformed into a cheery, Tiki-infested Polynesian palace.

This space has been welcoming travellers since 1927, long before trailer parks became synonymous with trashy living.

"Once they got parked and run down, then they became known as cheaper housing," explains Wilhelm. "But back in the day it was a smaller unit. You came, you set up shop and you hung out outside and met people."

To encourage that social spirit – not to mention the flow of spirits – The Shady Dell's trailers all have porches where you can lounge with a cocktail and fraternize with the neighbours.

Within the next year or so, Wilhelm also hopes to rig up a drive-in movie theatre. For now, Dot's Diner is the leading lady. A 1957 eatery that did most of its frying in California, it made its way to The Shady Dell via flatbed truck in 1996.

Dot's is every bit as authentic as the rest of the Shady Dell – burgers are flattened by a bowling pin and old school diner slang is in use. What's that, you ask? Just order "two chicks on a raft" for breakfast and you'll find out.

There's no doubt about it, I'm crushin' on The Shady Dell. But to indulge in the perfect make-believe stay, Wilhelm suggests bringing your own sweetheart.

"Put on a movie, maybe perk some coffee and women can bring an apron and play the housewife role," she says.

"But what should they serve their hubbies?" I ask.

"Definitely some kind of gelatinous meat substance. They had all those canned meats and it was casserole city. Maybe slice up some Spam." Now that's romance.

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